Kennards Hire...Any Direction You Choose

Kennards Hire has over 1,500 team members across Australia and New Zealand. We are always developing and providing opportunities for employees to grow and develop within the business. We pride ourselves on being a great place to work.

We want to see more women enter the trade and construction industry. And there are many career pathways that we can offer to anyone looking to get involved in what is a really interesting and progressive time in the equipment hire industry.

To coincide with International Women’s Day we are excited to share the experiences from some of our own about the hire industry and working at Kennards Hire. 

Willow Shorrocks
Assistant Branch Manager, Artarmon, NSW

 

What attracted you to work at Kennards Hire?
“I was asked if I would be interested working at Kennards Hire. I looked at the position description describing their values, training and the career opportunities they offer and this is what really attracted me to move to Kennards Hire.”

Do you think the roles or job world is different for women in the construction industry?
“Coming from the construction industry prior to Kennards Hire and getting to know the big companies we deal with, you can see that if you apply yourself you can pretty much achieve any role. So, I think they may differ a little, but not a great deal.”

What do you think sets Kennards Hire apart from other companies in the same industry in terms of women’s roles within the company?
“That it doesn’t matter who you are, your age, gender, interests or abilities – Kennards Hire is a family as well as a business. They want you to succeed and push yourself, your abilities and knowledge, to achieve great things.”

NATALIE OLWAGE
Branch Manager, Kennards Hire Traffic Auckland, NZ

What are the barriers for women in the hire or construction industry? What’s your advice to attract women to the industry?
“Because women are generally expected to be in office roles, they tend to believe they cannot compete with men in the hire industry. I have found this to be more a mind over matter issue – it doesn’t matter how big or small you are, or what your background is, as long as you are eager to do the job you will be a good fit for the Kennards Hire family.”

How do your loved ones support your role?
“My husband is very supportive of my role at Kennards Hire (except when I give him a run for his money when the lawn mower breaks down). He has said that he can see how much happier I am since starting at Kennards Hire.”

Who has been your biggest influence and why?
“I cannot narrow it down to just one person. I would have to give the credit to the whole Pukekohe Branch – they welcomed me with open arms and took me under their wings and showed me how to make customers jobs easy and keep them happy, but most importantly, made me a part of the family.”

What’s your favourite piece of Kennards Hire equipment and why?
“My favourite piece of Kennards Hire equipment would be a 5.5t excavator, because nobody would expect a woman to be able to service or operate one.”

CLEMENTINE HOLMAN
Digital Marketing Specialist, Group Support Office, NSW 

What attracted you to work at Kennards Hire?
“My husband convinced me to go for the role! I stumbled upon the role on LinkedIn, and my husband could not stop raving about how Kennards Hire’s customer service was second to none, and that anyone he knew who worked for Kennards Hire had been with the company for a very long time and enjoyed their roles.”

What do you think sets Kennards Hire apart from other companies in the same industry in terms of women’s roles within the company?
“While Kennards Hire is mostly male, not once have I felt disrespected or singled out in any way within the company. I actually feel like a complete equal to my male peers. Every staff member works by our One Family core value, which means anyone has the opportunity to grow within the company, and everyone assists each other to get the job done.”

How do your loved ones support your role at Kennards Hire?
“My husband can see that I’m happy and loves hearing about all the amazing opportunities I’m getting while working here. I’m pretty sure though he loves the fact that I work at Kennards Hire because I can hire whatever equipment he needs for our DIY projects!”

You mentioned DIY projects. What Kennards Hire equipment have you used to make your job easy?
“I’ve used a wall chaser when moving our hot water heater from the kitchen to the laundry, and also to install all our wiring for our TV and entertainment unit. The TV now looks like it floats on the wall; it looks pretty schmick! I’ve also used a breaker to remove tiles from the wall while demolishing our kitchen. Bringing down a Malibu Barbie pink kitchen with a small breaker is incredibly therapeutic.”

Tradeswomen Australian Conference

The second Tradeswomen Australia Conference is being held in Brisbane, Australian on 8-9 March 2018.  The conference in will include panel discussion, trade specific workshops, and break out session on law, accounting, trades, health and fitness.  Kennards Hire is proud to play a small part in this conference as the Dinner Sponsor.  For more on this conference visit: www.tradeswomenaustraliaconference.com.au